Sundered Gods

A battle for souls is at hand.

The lands of Adare are ruled over by the Byrianian Empire. A massive country formed of an Alliance of Dwarves and Men the Empire is a Theocracy dedicated to the One God Byr. Armies of Men and Dwarves, wielding Divine power seek to stamp out the heathens that would dare to practice the Arcane arts. For arcane magic is not just an outlawed practice, it is the most heretical practice known.

A blasphemy beyond words to the followers of the One God, its origin lies within the demise of the One God’s twin brother Ryll. Seeking a better understanding of the world Ryll sought the ability to be omnipresent. Calling upon the aid of the lesser gods of the Immortal Host Ryll performed a ritual of unbelievable power that he believed would allow him to be in all places at all times.

With the completion of the ritual Ryll’s very essence was torn asunder, the bits of his being exploding forth in a supernova of divine energy that saturated the world. In its wake many races were left changed and entire new ones created by rampart surge of magic. Stories even speak of a world beyond the world being created by the shadow cast across existence. Following his sundering mortals throughout the world began to slowing tap into the power that once was a god.

Drawing upon this new source of power the Arcane arts arose. In some it was instinctual, in others learned, but regardless of how this power was acquired it was seen as blasphemy by Byr. Seeing a taint cast upon the other gods by Ryll’s destruction he banished them from the Celestial Palace and revealed to his followers their true evil nature. Henceforth Byr would be the only God in creation and any others were to be shunned, their followers put to the sword. So too were users of the Arcane hunted down, with packs of Inquisitors roaming the streets of cities both large and small, looking for unfaithful and arcane alike.